How To Be Good To Me

I will be my best self today. I know how because I have 46 years of experience and enough advice, recommendations, instructions, suggested uses and prescriptions to be all that I can be and more.

After my minimum of eight hours sleep — preferably beginning before midnight the night prior — I will wake up and brush and floss my teeth before embarking on exercise. My exercise will be done prior to eating a healthy, well-balanced breakfast, but after I have taken my multi-vitamin, calcium, and Vitamin D supplements. It’s a cardio day so I will wear my orthodic infused running sneakers to take my dog for a brisk walk on uneven terrain for a minimum of 30 minutes. I will stretch thoroughly before and after my walk and end with a brief meditation on my coming day.

I will not weigh myself today since it is best to do this only once a week, and it is not Friday. Time to hop in the shower to cleanse, exfoliate, shave, shampoo and condition; I adhere to hair washing every other day to avoid buildup and blow-drying damage. It is a hair-washing day today. So I will shampoo, rinse, repeat, rinse again and towel dry my hair before applying conditioner that will remain in my hair for the recommended five minutes. Should I be turning off the water at this point to conserve the hot water? I will check the recommendation on this step later today. I’ve towel dried and then blow dried my hair from a safe distance of six to 12 inches using the recommended Mason Pearson hairbrush to avoid breakage. I’m on week five of my hair trimming every six weeks schedule (to limit split ends) so I make a mental note to schedule a hair appointment for the coming week.

It’s time to apply sunblock (darn, should have worn this for my brisk walk earlier), moisturizer (do NOT forget your neck!) and my dermatologist recommended fade cream for those increasingly annoying sun spots on my face. A quick swipe of deodorant, a spritz of perfume, and I’m ready to apply mascara and a moisturizing lipstick in a natural shade. My goal is to not look like I’m wearing any make up.

It’s breakfast time — the most important meal of the day — and I will begin with some whole grains, blueberries and a small serving of calcium infused orange juice. I love coffee but will abstain today since caffeine has been proven to … I forget right now, but it tastes too good to be O.K. to consume too often. I will drink my first of eight glasses of water each day. Time to plan my lunch and dinner now — early in the day — before cravings, hunger and the ensuing poor food choices have a chance to rear their ugly head. Organic is the way to go so I am careful to select only those items.

I go about my day taking the stairs whenever possible, laughing at least one hearty time, parking a bit farther away from the entrance than necessary and limiting snacks to a handful of almonds between meals. After my pre-7 p.m. dinner and a glass of heart healthy red wine (alternating days only) I will end my day cleansing, brushing and flossing away the accumulation of the past 12 hours. I will moisturize and tackle a crossword puzzle (to keep my brain and memory sharp) if time permits.